Machines for manufacturing electric connector sockets

ABSTRACT

THE SOCKETS HAVE AN OUTER TUBULAR PIECE SURROUNDING A RIGID TUBULAR SLEEVE LINED HELICALLY WITH STRAIGHT WIRES, SECURED AT THE ENDS OF THE SLEEVE. THE MACHINE HAS A CYLINDRICAL SUPPORT WITH A FIRST PORTION OF RADIUS EQUAL TO THE INNER RADIUS OF THE SLEEVE AND HAVING POSITIONING SLOTS FOR THE WIRES. AN ADJACENT SECOND PORTION OF THE SUPPORT IS OF RADIUS EQUAL TO THE SUM OF THE OUTER RADIUS OF THE SLEEVE AND THE DIAMETER OF THE WIRE. A TUBE SLIDES ON THE SECOND PORTION TO ENVELOPE THE FIRST PORTION SO AS TO HOOK THE ENDS OF THE WIRES BACK ON THE SLEEVE AND THEN IS PUSHED BACK BY MEANS URGING THE TUBULAR PIECE ONTO THE SLEEVE.

F. R. BONHOMME MACHINES FOR MANUFACTURING ELECTRIC CONNECTOR SOCKETS Jan. 26, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed June 26, 1966 Jan, 26, 1971 F. R. BONHOMME 3,

- MACHINES FOR MANUFACTURING ELECTRIC CONNECTOR SOCKETS Original Filed June 26, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Int. Cl. Hk 13/00 US. Cl. 29-203 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The sockets have an outer tubular piece surrounding a rigid tubular sleeve lined helically with straight wires, secured at the ends of the sleeve. The machine has a cylindrical support with a first portion of radius equal to the inner radius of the sleeve and having positioning slots for the wires. An adjacent second portion of the support is of radius equal to the sum of the outer radius of the sleeve and the diameter of the wire. A tube slides on the second portion to envelope the first portion so as to hook the ends of the wires back on the sleeve and then is pushed back by means urging the tubular piece on to the sleeve.

The present invention is a division out of my application Ser. No. 559,516, filed June 22, 1966, granted under Pat. No. 3,470,527 on Sept. 30, 1969.

The present invention relates to machines for manufacturing electric connector sockets of the type described and claimed in the above-mentioned patent. The sockets are intended to cooperate with corresponding plugs, said sockets comprising, inside a rigid tubular sleeve, at least one resilient conducting wire which, in the absence of a plug, is rectilinear and oblique with respect to the axis of said sleeve without intersecting 'said axis, the ends of said Wire being secured by setting to the respective ends of said sleeve. The invention is more particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with machines for manufacturing sockets of this type comprising a multiplicity of such wires forming the generatrices of a hyperboloid of revolution about the above mentioned axis.

The object of the present invention is to provide machines for manufacturing such sockets, improved as regards simplicity, cost of manufacture and transverse overall dimensions of such sockets.

The sockets in question are arranged in such manner that both ends of the wire or wires are set by pinching between the respective ends of the above mentioned tubular sleeve and of the inner wall of a single tubular piece surrounding said sleeve.

The method for making such a socket is described and claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 842,068 also divided out of my above-mentioned application Ser.

No. 559,516 now Pat. No. 3,470,527. 'It comprises disposing the wire, or each of the wires, in the tubular sleeve, bending one of the ends of said wire, or wires, against one end edge of the tubular sleeve, slipping the latter with said edge thereof ahead into the tubular piece until said end of the wire or wires is caught between the end edge of the tubular sleeve and a transverse wall of the external tubular piece, and in deforming the end of said piece that is at the greater distance from said transverse wall so as to catch the other end of the wire, or the other ends of the wires against the tubular sleeve.

The machine according to the present invention comprises a support including a first cylindrical portion the 3,557,428 Patented Jan. 26, 1971 radius of which is substantially equal (with the necessary clearance) to the inner radius of the tubular sleeve and which is provided with positioning slots for the wire, and a second cylindrical portion adjacent to the first one and the radius of which is equal (also with the provision of the necessary clearance) to the sum of the external radius of the tubular sleeve and of the diameter of the wires, a tube slidable on said second cylindrical portion, and means for displacing said last mentioned tube into overhanging position around the first cylindrical portion, then for pushing said tubular piece until it bears against said tube and causes it to move backward so as to be located entirely around the second cylindrical portion of the support.

A preferred embodiment of the machine according to the present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the appended drawings, given merely by way of example, and in which:

FIGS. 1 to 5 diagrammatically illustrate the successive operations for making a connector socket by means of said embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, with parts cut away, of a socket made as illustrated by FIGS. 1 to 5;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of one of the components of another example of a socket made by means of a machine according to the invention;

FIG. 8 is an axial sectional view showing the component of FIG. 7 and a supplementary component;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view, with parts cut away, of a socket made by means of the components of FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 10 is a view showing a portion of one of the components of FIG. 8 made according to a modification;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 9 of the modified socket made from the component of FIG. 10.

It is desired to make an electric connector socket comprising, inside a rigid tubular sleeve 1, several rectilinear wires extending along the generatrices of a hyperboloid of revolution.

The socket (as shown in particular by FIG. 6) is arranged so that both ends 2a and 2b of every wire 2 are secured by wedging or pinching between the respective ends of sleeve 1 and of a tubular piece 3 surrounding said sleeve 1. Piece 3 is metallic and includes an extension 4 serving for the fixation of an electric conductor (not shown) which, together with the conductor secured to the plug (not shown) intended to be inserted in the socket, is capable of ensuring the continuity of an electric circuit.

This construction permits obtaining a mechanical continuity of the socket which makes it more resistant when a plug is inserted thereinto in a direction which is not quite axial.

In order to manufacture such a socket, as shown by FIGS. 1 to 5, wires 2 are disposed inside tubular sleeve 1 (FIGS. 1 and 2), the ends 2a of said wires being applied against the portion of sleeve 1 adjoining said edge 1a thereof (FIG. 3). Sleeve 1 is slipped into tubular piece 3, with edge 1a ahead (FIG. 4), until the ends 2a of wires 2 are caught between the edge 1a of sleeve 1 and a transverse partition 5 of piece 3. The end 6 of said piece 3 is bent or set in such manner as to apply against sleeve 6 of tubular piece 3, after its deformation, isdesignated by reference numeral 6a).

In order to apply this method the embodiment of the machine according to the invention, described below, may be used.

This machine comprises a support 30 including on the one hand a first cylindrical portion 31 the radius r of which (FIG. 1) is equal to the inner radius of tubular sleeve 1, said cylindrical portion 31 being provided with slots 32 for positioning wires 2 (only one of said slots has been shown in FIGS. 1 to but of course there are as many slots as there are wires) and, on the other hand, a second cylindrical portion 33 adjacent to the first one 31, and the radius R (FIG. 3) of which is equal to the sum of the external radius of sleeve 1 and of the diameter of wires 2.

A tube 34 is mounted slidable on the above mentioned second portion 33.

Means (not shown by the drawings) are provided for moving tube 34 into overlapping position around the first cylindrical portion 31, as shown by FIG. 3) then for pushing tubular piece 3 toward the left until it comes to bear against tube 34 (FIG. 4) and causes it to move.

back toward the left to be located wholly about the second cylindrical portion 33 (FIG. 5). As shown by FIGS. 1 to 5, the cylindrical portion 33 of greater diameter may consist of a tube 35 carried by the body of support 30 and slidable thereon.

The operation of the machine of FIGS. 1 to 5 is as follows.

First a sleeve 1 is slipped over the portion 31 of support 30. Then wires 2 are inserted into the slots 32 of said portion 31 (FIG. 1) the ends 2a and 2b of wires 2 being bent, for instance at right angles. Then tube 34 (FIG. 2) is moved toward the right until it folds the ends 2b of wires 2 between the inner wall of said tube 34 and the outer wall of sleeve 1 (FIG. 3). During this step, tube 35 is pushed toward the right and keeps the ends 2b of wires 2 applied against element 1, preventing said ends 2b from moving during the subsequent operations. Then piece 3 is moved toward the left, which folds the ends 2a of the wires between the inner wall of piece 3 and the outer wall of sleeve 1. Piece 3 comes into contact with tube 34 and keeps moving toward the left until the ends 2a of the wires are caught between the edge 1a of element 1 and the transverse wall 5 of piece 3 (FIG. 5). As the inner diameter of tube 34 is very slightly greater than the inner diameter of piece 3 the wires cannot move during the operation illustrated by FIGS. 4 and 5. In order to finish the socket, it suffices to set the ends 2b of the wires by deformation of piece 3 as shown at 6a in FIG. 6.

The socket of FIG. 9 differs from that of FIG. 6 in particular by the fact that extension 14 is integral with tubular sleeve 11 and not with the external tubular piece 13 as in the preceding embodiment. Tubular piece 13 comprises, before assembly, an edge 16a capable, after assembly, of applying the ends 12b of wires 12 against the corresponding end edge of sleeve .11 (FIG. 9). Furthermore, sleeve 11 is provided with slots 18 having the same obliquity as wires 12 and through which the ends 12a of said wires project from said sleeve 11, the end 19 (FIG. 8) of piece 13 being deformed as shown at 19a (FIG. 9) to wedge the ends .12a of the wires in said slots 18.

The socket of FIGS. 10 and 11 differs from that of FIGS. 7 to 9 only by the manner of wedging the ends 120 of wires 12, which corresponds to the ends 12b of FIG. 9. In this socket, the edge 16a of.FIG. 8, extending radially in the inward direction, is replaced by an inner projection 16b coaxial with the body of piece 13 and forming therewith a groove which positions the wires after setting. Then edge 16b is expanded by a mandrel so as to secure the ends 12b of the wires as shown at 160 in FIG.11.

In a general manner, while the above description discloses what are deemed to be a practical and efiicient embodiment of the present invention, said invention is not limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the invention as com- I prehended within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. To manufacture an electrical connector socket intended to cooperate with a plug and comprising an inner rigid tubular sleeve of conducting material, at least one resilient conducting wire having its ends carried by the respective ends of said tubular sleeve so as to extend obliquely to the longitudinal axis of said sleeve in a position where it can have limited area, resilient pressure, contact engagement with said plug as it is inserted into said sleeve, and an outer tubular piece coaxially surrounding said sleeve, of an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of said sleeve and of a length a little greater than the length of said sleeve, arranged to cooperate therewith to hold the ends of said said wire secured with respect thereto in said position,

a machine which comprises, in combination,

a support comprising a first cylindrical portion the radius of which is equal to the inner diameter of said sleeve and which is provided with positioning slots for said wire and a second cylindrical portion the radius of which is equal to the sum of said first mentioned radius and of the diameter of said wire,

and a tube slidable on said support second cylindrical portion,

said tube being adapted to come to surround said support first cylindrical portion, and said tubular piece being adapted to be moved over said support first cylindrical portion to push back said tube so that it is located wholly on said support cylindrical portion.

2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the first cylindrical portion of said support consists of a tube coaxially mounted on said support and slidable thereon.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS THOMAS H. EAGER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

